A system and method for creating a location uniform resource identifier (“URI”) for determining the location of a target device. A location request may be received for a target device. Location context information may be collected for the target device including starting information, validating information and policy information. This collected location context information may be encrypted in a location information server and converted to a form compatible with URI syntax. A location URI may then be constructed as a function of the converted information.
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1. A method for creating a location uniform resource identifier (“URI”) for determining the location of a target device, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a location request for a target device; (b) collecting location context information for the target device including starting information, validating information and policy information; (c) encrypting the collected location context information in a location information server (“LIS”); (d) converting the encrypted location context information to a form compatible with URI syntax; and (e) constructing a location URI with the converted location context information embedded within the location URI.
A method for determining the location of a target device involves creating a location URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). The process includes receiving a location request for the device, then gathering "location context information." This context includes: 1) "starting information" needed to initiate location determination, 2) "validating information" to confirm it's the correct device, and 3) "policy information" about whether the location can be shared. This collected context data is encrypted within a location information server (LIS). Then, the encrypted data is converted into a format compatible with URI syntax. Finally, a location URI is constructed with this converted, encrypted context embedded inside it.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining an estimated location of the target device as a function of the constructed location URI.
Building upon the method of creating a location URI, the system determines an estimated location of the target device. This location estimate is derived using the information encoded within the constructed location URI from the previous step. The location URI contains encrypted context information, and this information is used to calculate or retrieve the device's estimated location.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing the constructed location URI to a requesting entity.
In addition to creating a location URI, the method provides the constructed location URI to a requesting entity. This allows the entity to subsequently use the URI to determine the target device's location.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the requesting entity is the target device or a location client.
Further specifying the method of providing the location URI, the "requesting entity" who receives the URI can be either the target device itself, or a separate location client application that needs to know the device's location.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of collecting location context information includes determining the target device's Media Access Control address or Internet Protocol address.
In the location URI creation method, the process of collecting "location context information" includes determining the target device's Media Access Control (MAC) address or its Internet Protocol (IP) address. This network address information is used as part of the initial location context.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the location URI includes a host address of the LIS, an encrypted context string, and addressing information based on protocol, routing, and network details.
Refining the structure of the location URI, it consists of: a host address of the Location Information Server (LIS) which handles the location data, an encrypted context string containing sensitive location-related information, and addressing information based on protocol, routing, and network details, allowing the URI to be properly routed and interpreted.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the location URI includes a uniform resource name (“URN”), a uniform resource location (“URL”), and combinations thereof.
Describing the type of location URI used in the method, it can be a Uniform Resource Name (URN), a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), or a combination of both. This allows flexibility in how the location URI is formatted and used within different systems.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the LIS comprises one or more processing units at one or more processing sites.
Expanding on the architecture, the Location Information Server (LIS), where context encryption occurs, comprises one or more processing units. These units can be located at one or more physical processing sites, suggesting a distributed or scalable server architecture.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the starting information includes information for initiating a location determination for the target device.
Elaborating on the "starting information" included in the location context, it contains the data needed to initiate a location determination process for the target device. This may include device identifiers, timestamp, or specific service request parameters.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the validating information includes information correlating the starting information with the target device.
Defining the "validating information" within the location context, it's information that correlates the "starting information" with the actual target device, ensuring the location request is legitimate and associated with the correct device. This could be a device-specific key or identifier.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the policy information includes information indicating whether a location of the target device may be provided to a requesting entity.
Specifying the "policy information" included in the location context, it indicates whether the target device's location can be provided to a requesting entity. This implements privacy controls and authorization checks for location sharing.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the location request is in a geodetic location form, a civic location form or a location URI form.
The location request received by the system can be in one of several formats: a geodetic location form (e.g., latitude/longitude), a civic location form (e.g., street address), or even another location URI. This supports multiple ways to initiate the location process.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the target device is selected from the group consisting of: cellular device, text messaging device, computer, portable computer, vehicle locating device, vehicle security device, communication device, and wireless transceiver.
The target device for which the location is being determined can be any of the following: a cellular device, a text messaging device, a computer, a portable computer, a vehicle locating device, a vehicle security device, a communication device, or a wireless transceiver.
14. A location information server (“LIS”) comprising: (a) circuitry for receiving a location request for a target device; (b) circuitry for collecting location context information for the target device including starting information, validating information and policy information; (c) circuitry for encrypting the collected location context information; (d) circuitry for converting the encrypted location context information to a form compatible with uniform resource identifier (“URI”) syntax; and (e) circuitry for constructing a location URI with the converted location context information embedded within the location URI.
A Location Information Server (LIS) is described. It contains circuitry to: receive location requests for a target device; collect location context information about the target device (including starting, validating and policy information); encrypt the collected location context information; convert the encrypted information to a URI-compatible format; and construct a location URI embedding the converted, encrypted information. The constructed URI can then be used to determine the device's location.
15. The LIS of claim 14 further comprising circuitry for verifying the form of the location URI, the form including at least an encrypted context string.
The Location Information Server (LIS) further contains circuitry to verify the format of the constructed location URI. The format must include at least an encrypted context string, which contains the core location-related information in a protected form. This helps ensure the integrity and validity of the URI.
16. The LIS of claim 15 wherein the form of the location URI further includes a host address of the LIS and addressing information based on protocol, routing, and network details.
Continuing the description of the LIS, the validated location URI format also includes a host address of the LIS itself, and addressing information based on protocol, routing, and network details. This ensures that the URI can be correctly routed back to the LIS for processing and location determination.
17. The LIS of claim 15 further comprising circuitry for extracting and decrypting the encrypted context string.
The LIS contains circuitry to extract and decrypt the encrypted context string from the location URI. This decryption process is necessary to access the location context information and determine the target device's location.
18. The LIS of claim 14 further comprising circuitry for determining an estimated location of the target device and for providing the estimated location of the target device to a requesting entity.
The LIS includes circuitry to determine an estimated location of the target device based on the decrypted context information and circuitry to provide this estimated location to a requesting entity.
19. The LIS of claim 18 wherein the requesting entity is the target device or a location client.
The "requesting entity" that receives the estimated location from the LIS can be either the target device itself, or a separate location client application that needs to know the device's location.
20. The LIS of claim 14 further comprising one or more processing units at one or more processing sites.
The Location Information Server (LIS) comprises one or more processing units at one or more processing sites, which indicates the potential for a distributed and scalable server architecture.
21. The LIS of claim 14 wherein the location URI includes a uniform resource name (“URN”), a uniform resource location (“URL”) and combinations thereof.
The location URI created by the LIS can be a Uniform Resource Name (URN), a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), or a combination of both.
22. The LIS of claim 14 wherein the target device is selected from the group consisting of: cellular device, text messaging device, computer, portable computer, vehicle locating device, vehicle security device, communication device, and wireless transceiver.
The target device whose location is being managed by the LIS can be any of the following: a cellular device, a text messaging device, a computer, a portable computer, a vehicle locating device, a vehicle security device, a communication device, or a wireless transceiver.
23. A method for creating a location uniform resource identifier (“URI”) for determining the location of a target device, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a location request for a target device; (b) collecting location context information in a location server for the target device including starting information, validating information and policy information; (c) converting the location context information to a form compatible with URI syntax; and (d) constructing a location URI by embedding the converted location context information within the location URI.
This invention relates to a method for generating a location uniform resource identifier (URI) to determine the location of a target device. The method addresses the challenge of efficiently encoding location-related data into a standardized format that can be used to retrieve or verify a device's location. When a location request for a target device is received, a location server gathers context information, including starting data (such as initial coordinates or timestamps), validation data (such as authentication or verification details), and policy data (such as access restrictions or privacy rules). This collected information is then converted into a format compatible with URI syntax, ensuring it can be embedded within a URI structure. The method constructs a final location URI by incorporating the converted context information, allowing the URI to serve as a reference for querying or verifying the target device's location. This approach streamlines location-based services by standardizing how location data is encoded and accessed, improving interoperability and reducing the need for separate data transmission.
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March 26, 2009
June 11, 2013
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